What can we do to make life better in Exeter?

Exeter City Council is finalising the Exeter Plan – a strategy that will "shape the future of Exeter for the next twenty years and will guide how the city evolves to meet the needs of the community."

Inspired by this work, we call on Exeter City Council to facilitate a parallel Exeter Citizens' Plan – a living strategy and guide that champions the many ways citizens can help make our city greener, healthier, wilder, fairer, and more enjoyable.

Co-produced with citizens across Greater Exeter, the plan should set out our aspirations and how we can come together – as individuals, families, groups, streets, neighbourhoods, organisations, and communities – to share knowledge, ideas, energy and resources that unlock opportunities for positive change.

The Exeter Citizens' Plan should help our community make progress on the challenges set out in the Exeter Plan, Exeter Vision 2040 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals by reducing inequalities, loneliness, flooding, hunger, emissions, sewage discharges, and boosting biodiversity, culture, new jobs, local businesses, play, hope and opportunities - by guiding us to act as individuals and as a community.

Specifically, we're calling for the council to:

1. Convene a Citizen-led Panel to help co-develop the Exeter Citizens’ Plan with council support.
2. Publish a practical Citizens’ Guide of council-supported activities and actions citizens can do.
3. Create a Citizens’ Ideas Hub - a space for residents to share and search for local initiatives already happening which link to city wide goals. This Ideas Hub should be online, but could also have a physical presence on the high street.
4. Commit officer time and funding to make this all happen effectively

Success should be measured by tangible outcomes, we want lots more:

• walking
• bicycles in town
• trees
• birds and hedgehogs in our gardens
• swimmers swimming safely in the River Exe
• local food growing and sharing
• clean streets
• green energy
• people outside enjoying themselves
• awareness of local opportunities
• ways to meet each other
• friendships
• fun
• eating outside
• regular play time organised for people of all ages
• opportunities on community noticeboards
• memorable cultural moments
• innovation and creativity
• people trying new activities
• successful independent shops
• highly affordable food
• years of healthy life
• and more!

The need and opportunity is great. 

We all know citizen's have power - convene, facilitate and guide us!

The Exeter Citizens’ Plan should be large-scale and long-term, but also achievable through many small and everyday actions. It should be beautiful, easy to understand, accessible to all and driven by the collective will of Exeter’s citizens.

We urge Exeter City Council to prioritise the development of the Exeter Citizens' Plan and commit to a collaborative process that ensures everyone can both participate and benefit every day.